"Copycat"

This was my favorite painting for Summerfest.  I did some improvising with this painting that really brought it to life.  I put the storm clouds in mimicking the shape of the trees, hence the title "Copycat" and then added the cows and the fence and the mountains as well.  The real image I was looking at to paint it was just the trees and the trees in the background with a pitch black storm that randomly decided to change direction and attack me in the middle of the painting.  This is probably my favorite painting to date just because I figured certain little things out and was able to add them to really make it pop.  I will probably do a big painting using this smaller one as a study in my studio in the near future.  Unless this one sells this weekend!  All in all this was a good week.  Better I think than last week in the Ogden Arts festival(I will post those paintings on here next).  Next week I have Art on the Lawn in Logan and then the Midway Plein Air Competition is the following week so it's a pretty crazy month.  Hopefully something either sells or places in one of these competitions to make it worth all the gas money I'm forking out driving all over the state!

"Looks Like Rain"

This painting was the 1st one I did for the Summerfest competition this week.  This painting was one of those typical Utah June paintings where the weather was great when I started in to the underpainting and I was getting completely drenched by the time I started putting down the main painting.  I'm still pretty happy with how it turned out.  This is more the direction I've been trying to go as far as paint application goes.  It's mostly done with different shaped palette knives and a brush is used to smooth things out when needed and to put a few final strokes in the foreground.  The size on this one is 11x14 and it is on panel.  I didn't include this one in the show because we were only able to turn in 2 but if one of them sells in the "buy it now" option than I will be replacing it with this one.  Not gonna lie, the little cows were an awesome touch on this one!

The Locals Entrance

So this painting was one of 3 I did for Logan Summerfest this week.  I don't particularly love this painting but everyone else seems to.  My wife Danielle wanted me to submit this painting instead of one of the other ones I did and she had a valid point.  When I was turning this one in to be judged along with the other one(we could only turn in 2) one of the aids told me that her mom would "LOVE that painting" and then proceeded to tell me some fond memory of the bluebird and her grandmother.  I'm hoping that same sense of nostalgia will bring someone to buy this one.  The size on it is 11x14 which is a typical size for a plein air competition.  I like aspects of this painting more than others, most of which can't be seen from this photo.  I used a palette knife on almost the entire painting which gives it a thick quality in person, which is something I like about it.  I think in normal circumstances I would probably like this painting as well but I am a perfectionist and think the other 2 I did are much better so it makes it hard for me to really get excited about this one now.  I'll be really excited if it sells this weekend!